[FR] In what order should I read the books?

[msd]

Hi all,

Just a quick question about the Forgotten Realms novels. Is there a recommended order in which to read the books? Maybe its me, but I can't seem to find what looks to be an official timeline...or is there no such thing?

Thanks in advance,
Matt

 

[BobROE]

I can give a better list tomorrow (I'm about to go to bed) if no one else has. But it really doesn't matter what order you read them in, unless they have the same characters.

For instance the 3 cormyr novels should be read in this order
Cormyr: A Novel
(Something of the) High Road [sorry can't remember the exact title].
Death of a Dragon.

Now it doesn't really matter if you read R.A. Salvatore's books before this (since they occur before this in the timeline), since they have no interconnections.

 

[Taelorn76]

Many books are independant from each other. I would say most stories are in the form of trilogies. I started with the Avatar Trilogy and I think that's a good place to start. Many stories don't reference what has happened in other books unless it was something monumental that occured.

The Avatar trilogy:
Shadowdale, Tantras, Waterdeep.

The only exception to this are the Drizzt books those should be read in order.
The Darkelf Trilogy:
Homeland, Exile, Sojourn
Icewind Dale Trilogy: (published before Darkelf but events take place after that trilogy)
The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, The Halfling's Gem
Legacy of the Drow:
The legagy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, Passage to Dawn
Paths of Dakness:
The Silent Blade, The Spine of the World, Servant of the Shard, Sea of Swords
Hunter's Blade Trilogy:
The Thousand Orcs, The Lone Drow, The Two Swords

 

[Alzrius]

Hi all,

Just a quick question about the Forgotten Realms novels. Is there a recommended order in which to read the books? Maybe its me, but I can't seem to find what looks to be an official timeline...or is there no such thing?

Thanks in advance,
Matt

Hi Matt. A significant portion of the FR books don't rely on each other, so in most cases you shouldn't have too hard of a time worrying about what occurs in what order, simply because it won't matter. Usually, such books are referenced as being part one, two, etc of a trilogy or series.

That said, there are some resources you can use to help. WotC's Forgotten Realms novel guide may be of limited assistance.

Although it's slightly dated, there is a timeline specifically for the books of the Sembia series.

What you're looking for though is this Forgotten Realms novel timeline which lists all the books through the first quarter of 2003 (roughly) in order of when they begin (books that aren't here are probably in list three below).

If you're looking for a specific series, and want to see how that series breaks down chronologically, the following lists can help:

List One mostly deals with books that are part of a series.

List Two deals with books that were released under a banner that didn't necessarily deal with each other, as well as other miscellanious books.

List Three deals with books where the chronological setting is unable to be determined.

As a final note, remember that these lists are somewhat dated, so newer works (such as the Rogues series, etc.) won't be on here.

Hope that helps!

 

[Cthulhudrew]

The only exception to this are the Drizzt books those should be read in order.
The Darkelf Trilogy:
Homeland, Exile, Sojourn
Icewind Dale Trilogy: (published before Darkelf but events take place after that trilogy)
The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, The Halfling's Gem

This is just my suggestion, but I'd actually read the Icewind Dale trilogy before any of the other Dark Elf books (and not just because, well, I did). To me, these were the definitive "Drizzt" books- it is where he was introduced the first, and the most clearly, IMO. It also builds the other characters very nicely- far more than any other of the novels in the series the Icewind Dale trilogy (especially The Crystal Shard) is an ensemble piece, and not just a "Drizzt kicks @$$" book. Also, Salvatore was at his best in these novels, I think- having read a lot of his work, and more than once. There is a freshness to it, and a real sense of "grounding" the work, whereas a lot of the later novels just become a series of repetitive and sometimes confusing (hard to visualize) fight scenes.

As well, I think in large part because Salvatore was working with "new" territory in the Realms (and wasn't that familiar with them himself) I think the Icewind Dale trilogy is a lot more "generally accessible" to people starting out reading Realms books. Not terribly heavy in the "needing to know" about everything sense, whereas the longer the trilogy goes (and this includes, to my recollection, much of the Dark Elf Trilogy, which is Menzoberranzan centric) the more continuity heavy and specific the books get.

(Just thought of another reason the ID trilogy might better be read first- The DE trilogy assumes some working knowledge of who and what Drizzt is, and what he stands for, as evidenced by the Chapter Narratives that pop up now and then by Drizzt. Without some grounding in the character, I'd think those could be a bit confusing.)

Anyway, just my suggestion. Not trying to turn this into a bashing/praising thread.

 

[Alzrius]

I disagree. Just because Salvatore wrote the Icewind Dale stuff first, and then went back and did the prequels, doesn't mean that they should be read in that same order.

I read the Dark Elf books first, and then the Icewind Dale stuff, and had no idea they hadn't been written in order (save that in some of Drizzt's personal notations he refers to characters he hadn't met yet, but those notations are outside the story anyway). To me, reading them in chronological order offered more in the way of building - if I had just started out with a good-aligned drow, living on the surface, with an eclectic group of friends, I'd have felt somewhat daunted.

 

[Dark Jezter]

I'm with Cthulhudrew: I would read The Icewind Dale Trilogy before The Dark Elf Trilogy, mainly because Drizzt seems more interesting and mysterious in The Icewind Dale Trilogy if you don't already know everything about his past. Also, as Cthulhudrew pointed out, the Dark Elf Trilogy seems to assume that the reader already knows who Drizzt is and is familiar with his outlook and personality.

So, you should start with The Icewind Dale Trilogy, then read The Dark Elf Trilogy, then The Cleric Quintet (these books are about a different cast of characters than Drizzt and company, but they are still connected to Salvatore's other FR novels), then Legacy of the Drow, then Paths of Darkness, and finally The Hunter's Blades Trilogy.

It's a lot of reading, and there are a few books in the series that could have been better (such as Sea of Swords and Passage to Dawn), but on a whole I found the series to be enjoyable and fun to read, with characters you really grow attached to.

 

[Sarigar]

If you want a chronological order then check out Wizards website here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/fr/fictionlist

 

[The Serge]

I'd recommend reading them in the order they were written. This is usually my recommendation for reading any author since more discerning readers will sense a change in quality and writing maturation from multiple books. This is even more pronounced when reading books featuring the same characters/worlds. So, in the case of Drizzt, I'd read the terribly written Icewind Dale Trilogy, the slightly better Dark Elf Trilogy (recenlty repackaged with a snazzy Lockwood cover) and then the stuff that comes afterwards. Although I detest Salvatore, his strength as a writer clearly increases over the course of these books and its best to read them and watch him grow as a writer.

 

[msd]

An interesting issue

I'd read the terribly written Icewind Dale Trilogy...Although I detest Salvatore

This really was the source of the question. I love the campaign sourcebook and really enjoy the other books about the setting but never had read the novels...

I picked up the Crystal Shard and am just having one HECK of a time trying to get through the first 50 pages. The writing is just so...

I guess, what I am wondering is, do people read a lot of the non-Salvatore Forgotten Realms stuff, is the Crystal Shard reall (as you seem to indicate) not representative of his stuff, and if not...

Does anyon want to recommend a really good fantasy book while I'm still on vacation and before my summer job starts?

Thanks in advance and thanks for all the help you guys have already given.

Matt